Acting
by animalrie
Summary: Edward is a major actor on Broadway, the only thing to keep him from his boredom. When you live an eternity, what else can you do? However, his life is shaken up when a new actress arrives on stage. Rated T for safety.
1. Fit

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters.**

**Author's Note: Hey everyone. This is my first story to post here, so don't be too hard on me. Normally I don't like changing the setting or characters in any way, but I just thought I'd try this idea out. Tell me what you think by reviewing!**

_What does he think he's doing? _

_He can't just walk out!_

_Look at his eyes! Were they black earlier?_

I tried to ignore the thoughts swirling around me and closed my eyes at the last one. I pinched the bridge of my nose between my fingers and took deep, unnecessary breaths.

"You can't just walk out like that, Edward," the director's harsh voice cut into my thoughts. _Who does he think he is? Just because he's the best actor on Broadway doesn't mean he has the right throw a celebrity fit every five minutes!_

Actually, I could. And I had been for the last fifty years. Of course, not in the same place. I had traveled from Paris to Spain, and had been acting on Broadway for the last three years. I had been throwing these so called "celebrity fits" not because I had the inflexible mind I had seen within those famous bodies, but because of the thoughts that were constantly screaming at me.

I could block them out. Sometimes. But when hundreds of the cast and crew surround you, it's terribly difficult to block out their minds. The law bound me to these productions, though that would be the least of my problems if I decided to quit. What kept me here was simple-boredom.

"Edward, we're rehearsing. Now," Janette, the director, was finished trying to work with my temper. Without a word, I stood and walked back on stage.

"Oh, and we have a new Elphaba," Janette called after me, using the name of the main character in the Broadway production, _Wicked. _I didn't turn around to see who it was, but I could hear her voice and her thoughts behind me. "Don't worry, he doesn't bite," Janette was soothing the new girl. I sneered at her choice of words and listened for the new girl's thoughts, guaranteed to be laced with uncertainty.

I heard nothing. Nothing, for once in my hundred years, I heard _nothing. _I whipped around, wondering why Janette was talking to herself. That's where I saw the most beautiful, and most dangerous, creature to walk the earth.

**I hope that wasn't too bad for my first try. Please review to tell me if you liked it and if I should continue. In the next chapter, I'll include who it is (though I'm sure you already know) and what Edward does about it. By the way, if you haven't seen **_**Wicked**_**, you're missing out. **


	2. Lover

**Thanks to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and for the great reviews! Tell me what you think! **

Venom pooled in the back of my mouth and my throat was on fire. It took all the control I had not to leap at her right then. I was a hunter again. All I had worked for, all my self control, had disappeared, leaving instinct only, hot and fresh.

"Edward?" Janette looked taken aback and I could tell she was terrified without having to read her thoughts, though they were practically screaming at me. My hands balled into fists and if my palms weren't like stone, I'm sure my nails would have dug right into them.

I listened again for the new girl's thoughts, hoping to distract myself from the scent. This was no help, for the moment I was back to concentrating on her, it hit me all over again. This was like nothing I had smelled before. Even when I was a newborn and every human's blood tempted me to a level of extreme frustration, that was nothing compared to this. This was torture. This was burning, searing, scarring pain.

My instincts, the monster within me, told me to leap at her now. If my mind hadn't been fighting those same instincts for the last century, I would have never been able to control myself. However, common sense told me that to attack her here, surrounded by hundreds of onlookers, would be senseless. And I was anything but senseless right now. In fact, my senses were central to the problem.

Don't kill. Don't kill. Don't kill. My mind was telling me this, I was humming these words to myself, distracting myself, or trying to, at least. However, my instincts were singing to an entirely different song. Blood. Sweet blood. Kill. Kill.

I usually tried not to think of myself as a simple, predatory creature. What I had seen in the last hundred years or so had proven that. But right now, that is exactly what I was. All of my muscles were tensed to attack her, venom was sticky on the tips of my teeth, ready to pierce into her pale skin.

With a clap of realization, I stopped myself and stood up straight. I was in the middle of a theatre in New York, which I doubted would be the best place to abandon my _vegetarian _habits.

"Edward!" Janette called again. I looked up at her. _What is his problem today? Is it the stress? That's doubtful. God knows what's gotten into that boy. _

"Yes, Janette?" My voice came out harsher than I intended it to be and my jaw was clenched.

Her eyes narrowed, nothing scared this woman. "This is Bella, our new Elphaba," she snapped.

"Nice to meet you, Bella," I spoke quietly, I doubted she would hear. I didn't offer my hand, and I could see the obvious relief on her face from that simple fact.

"Rehearsals start in five," A call from center stage echoed around the theatre. The hustle and bustle that was trademark to the set was multiplied. It wasn't my scene, thankfully, I doubt I would be able to handle acting right now anyway.

However, it was _Bella's_. She would be thrown in head first, which was typical of Janette's directing style. I sat in the front row and was handed a script from one of the stagehands.

Bella was directed onto the stage. Her expression was panicked and blush flooded to her cheeks. She wasn't helping my cause. I had hoped that the further away she was, the easier it would be to ignore the appealing scent of her blood. I was disappointed.

Janette stood to the furthest side of the stage. "Start whenever you want, Bella," she mumbled. Bella's terrified eyes grew wider. "I…I'm not sure I can do that," she admitted in a whisper. I was sure only she and Janette could hear her on the stage. Janette tapped her foot impatiently. "It's fine. Just start when you can." _I was told this girl would be the best choice, yet she can't even sing for rehearsals. _

Without warning, a tiny voice broke the silence. It grew somewhat with time, and by the time I could make out what she was singing, I was shocked. For once, I was speechless. Calling her voice beautiful was practically an insult. Bella sang _I'm Not That Girl_, one of the few solos Elphaba had in the musical. I noticed the set for the first time, it had been set up fast. Maybe the crew would actually be useful in this production.

Her singing was exceptional. A silence filled the theatre as her voice rang out. All eyes looked to her. Thoughts were roaring and I listened to them out of curiosity.

_Who __**is**__ that? _

_I've never heard anyone sing like that before. _

_Beautiful. _

_Edward is one lucky guy. _

I was confused by the last one. My mind snapped back to the musical. My character. I was playing Fiyero. Elphaba's lover. Panic, a new and unfamiliar sensation, shot through me.

I, a bloodthirsty vampire who had found a sudden preference to an insignificant human's blood, would be playing that same human's lover. This could not end well.

**I don't want this to be totally based on Wicked, though I do love the musical. I want it to be based on more than that and I don't want to spoil this great musical to those who haven't seen it. Tell me how I'm doing by reviewing. More to come! **


	3. Dancing Through Life

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of it's characters. **

**I hope I'm not boring everyone to death here! Three chapters in one night! Yay! Well, here goes!**

Silence. Suffocating, cramped silence. Bella blushed even deeper, her cheeks turning a delicious scarlet. My throat burned and I stopped breathing.

_We've got lots of work to do. _Of course, Janette was the only one who wasn't thinking about the angel's voice we were all just blessed with.

"Come on people, stop gawking!" She yelled. Everyone seemed to snap out of the performance and continued with their jobs, though an air of amazement lingered in the crowd. Bella hung her head and wrapped her arms around her chest self-consciously.

"Was I that bad?" she whispered, barely audible. A stagehand scoffed, "You were great, honey, no matter what _he _says," she nodded toward me. A muffled laugh rose from the cast and crew nearby. Bella blushed.

I slapped the script down on the seat next to me and walked-almost too fast-to the stage. The stagehand who had made the smart remark scuttled away, rebellion tainting her thoughts. Janette warned me with her eyes.

"Bella," Her name sounded odd on my tongue. Fear poisoned her expression and she looked at her feet. Fear of me. "You sing…exquisitely." Janette's looked at me with a curious expression but I ignored her.

Bella's eyes shot up to mine and whatever she saw must have calmed her. "Thank you," she murmured. I nodded in response.

As Bella walked away, Janette turned to me, "That was…nice," she said warily.

"I'm capable to doing that every once in a while," I replied. Janette dismissed it and handed me another script.

"_Dancing Through Life_," she ordered simply. I pressed the script back into her hand and she rolled her eyes.

Jessica Stanley, the actress playing Glenda, pranced toward me. "Hey Edward," her lack of aversion toward me was aggravating. "What are you doing after rehearsals?"

I stared her down and spoke with care, "More rehearsals." Jessica laughed obnoxiously. _What a hottie! I bet he likes me. He's playing hard to get. _

I silent growl rumbled in my chest at her thoughts. Sure, I was used to this, but Jessica just wouldn't give up!

"Maybe I can rehearse with you," Jessica's squeaky voice cut into my thoughts. Come to think of it, she was very similar to her character, just more aggravating.

I leaned toward her, my eyes burning with warning. For once, I hoped to look like a vampire. "I don't think that would be…wise," I hissed darkly. The fear I had been hoping to instill in her was lost. _He is SO into me! _

The music started and Janette glared at me, waiting for me to sing. I sighed and began.

**Sorry this chapter was a bit of a nothing chapter. More events next chapter, including Edward and Bella's fateful conversation. **


	4. Alleyway

**I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. **

**I didn't think I could write this scene in Edwards POV. So here goes nothing!**

"That's all for tonight," Janette called. "Edward and Bella, meet here tomorrow at five!"

Five? In the morning? My head spun, and it wasn't just from the glare I was receiving from Edward across the stage. I snatched my coat from the coatroom and rushed to the door.

I stopped in my tracks when I spotted Edward headed toward the same door. I slowed down and waited for him to leave first. "Go ahead," His voice was harsh but still velvet. My heart pounded within my chest, threatening to jump right out of it. I opened my mouth to speak, but choked instead.

Edward's eyes widened in concern and I felt heat rush to my cheeks. His jaw clenched again and his lips set into a hard line. I stared at the ground and let my hair fall in a curtain around my face, hiding me from him. I hurried out the door faster than I thought possible. It surprised me when I ran into darkness.

I glanced at my watch, which read 1:04 am. I gasped. I barely heard him behind me, but Edward's voice broke into the roar of sirens and screeching tires, "Are you okay?"

I looked up at him, and he was standing closer than I expected. I felt my heart stop and start again at an increased pace. "Where are we?" I knew I sounded stupid, but I would rather sound stupid than wind up lost in the busiest city in the United States.

"In an alley," he answered simply. For the first time, I saw him smile. A crooked smile that I immediately fell in love with. My breath caught.

"Do you know where the nearest subway is?" I asked, my voice shaking embarrassingly.

"Follow me," Edward said simply. We walked deeper into the alleyway. "Do you want to take a shortcut?"

Truthfully, the idea of taking a 'shortcut' with Edward was unnerving. I followed him anyway. "Uh…sure," I squeaked. Edward smirked to himself.

It became darker and darker and soon I couldn't see my hand in front of me. "E-E-Edward?" I trembled.

In the darkness I couldn't see myself falling, but I could feel it. I must have tripped over something, likely to be my own feet. When my face should have hit the cement, I felt a cold arm snake around me waist. I stifled a scream.

Just as soon as he had pulled me up, he let go of my waist. Once I had gotten my breath back, I asked, "Are you sure this is a shortcut?"

Edward's ghostly laughed echoed around the alleyway. I felt a stone hand on mine and clenched my mouth shut. Why were his hands so cold anyway? I doubted now would be the best place to ask that question. He hoisted me onto what felt like a ladder and I began to climb upward.

I could see the moonlight reflecting off the surface of whatever building we were climbing right now. I lifted myself to the top, luckily not tripping the entire way there. Edward was already at the top. Wait, he had been behind me, hadn't he? There must have been a shorter way up. And he made me climb the ladder.

I looked over the edge of the building to see a familiar street. With a start, I realized the building I must be standing on was my apartment complex. Edward was on the other side of the roof, opening a fire escape. He motioned me over and I climbed in the first few stairs. "Um…thanks," I murmured.

He smiled his crooked smile and I felt myself turn to putty. I would be lucky if I got back to my apartment without falling. "See you bright and early," he whispered. I nodded, still in a daze, and watched as he closed the hatch after me.

I realized after he left that he couldn't have known where my apartment was.

**Next chapter is Edward's POV of the night. Review!**


	5. Central Park

**Thanks for your amazing reviews! **

Whatever had gotten into me this evening had left a bad aftertaste. I could clearly remember the tempting scent of her blood. Tempting was putting it lightly. The damp scent of the alley didn't repress her own scent.

The entire walk to her apartment-I had picked up the location from Janette's mind-was full of me attempting to unravel her mind. The blank void where her mind should have been was almost as back as the clawing at the back of my throat.

Whenever I spoke to her, the constant beating of her heart accelerated to a degree I guessed was unhealthy. This amused me, sparking a certain feeling in me that I couldn't identify. I chose to ignore it and took her on a shortcut there. When she fell, the emotion burning a hole inside me clawed it's way out.

_Love_.

That's what the humans called it. And that was undoubtedly the feeling that was growing inside me, however I tried to deny it. I refused to think about it, but trying to suppress the feeling proved challenging.

Leaving her was as much a relief as it was a challenge. I sat on the roof of her apartment complex for an hour or more before I headed back to my own.

My apartment was merely a façade I was obligated to pay rent for. With an unlimited amount of money, I could probably buy something…classier, but I didn't want to appear out of the ordinary. Plus, this was the only apartment I could find that lacked windows. I was able to make a few changes to my liking, though.

I dropped my bag in the dark room and headed out into the crowded streets of New York city.

It wasn't unusual to be out at this hour, which is one of the reasons I preferred this city to others. It was also easy to stay underground, hence out of the sun on those sunny summer days.

I called a cab and hopped inside. "Where to?" The homely cab driver grunted. _What a pretty-boy. What's he doing out so late?_

"Central Park," I answered.

The cab sped away. Traffic wasn't bad at this hour, though it still took us a fair amount of time to make it there. I pressed a fifty dollar bill into the cab driver's awaiting hand. _God! He must be a drug dealer. That would explain the clothes. _"Have a nice night!" It was entertaining to see the change in his attitude as I walked away.

The silence that enveloped the park was a relief after the long day of crowded thoughts. Being here was the closest I could get to sleeping. A few yards away, I heard the call of a bird and the shuffling of feet. _Tonight's the night. I'm sure he'll ask me here. Why else would we be out so late in Central Park? _I heard the frantic thoughts of a young woman.

I searched for the familiar voice I knew would be here somewhere. _Edward? Where are you? _There it was. Once I was sure I would cross no person's path, I ran toward her voice. Yes, really _ran. _I was in front of her in less than a second, amusing myself with her annoyed expression.

"I've been waiting for two hours," she stated, however, she looked bemused. "What have _you _been up to?"

"You know why I'm here, Alice," I spoke quietly. We stared at each other in silence until she opened her mouth to speak.

"Yes," she looked at the sky. "I do."

I glared at her, trying to depict her thoughts. She was thinking about the trip to New York, the flirty man she sat next to, and she flashed me an image of Jasper's expression at the man's feelings. I would not be so easily distracted.

"What did you see?" I hissed.

Alice sighed in defeat. "I don't think you're being wise, Edward," she stated simply.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. She knew I had a short temper, and she wasn't helping. I felt her hand on my shoulder.

"I'm not trying to anger you, Edward," she murmured. "But I don't think you want to know what I saw."

Of course I did! I was faced with a turmoil of emotions and thoughts that weren't even my own, and now to be thrown in with that was the sickening feeling of uncertainty that I had acquired since meeting Bella. The way my lips pulled up at the corners just thinking of her name made my frustration fluctuate.

"Alice…" I groaned. I looked up to see her smiling.

"I think I'll do some shopping while I'm here," she mentioned, trying to distract me. "You have no idea how lacking Forks is in that department. Maybe Bella would want to come with me!" She clapped her hands together with excitement.

So she had seen Bella. "What did you see, Alice?" I felt my jaw harden and teeth snap together.

_Do you really want to know, Edward? _She spoke with her thoughts, and suddenly she was serious again. I nodded, moving my head just a centimeter up and down. Alice sighed and looked at her feet.

_I saw you and Bella. You were sitting on her rooftop. She was staring at you with an expression of nervousness, maybe terror. You leaned into her neck, your lips barely brushing her skin. You kissed her gently, and then bit. _

I snapped out of her thoughts, my mind racing with horror. Alice glanced up at me, her eyes apologetic. "Edward…" she pleaded.

"Alice, is that _all _you saw?" I hissed.

Alice nodded, but her thoughts said differently. _Don't ask. Please. _

"That won't happen, Alice," I assured her as much as myself. "That will never happen."

**Review! Review! Review!**


	6. Perfect

**I don't own Twilight or any of the characters mentioned. Nor do I own **_**Wicked.**_

I huddled to the side of the stage in a heavy sweater, rubbing my arms in a hopeless attempt to warm up. The theatre was freezing, literally. I glanced at my watch. 5:02 were the numbers that flashed tauntingly in my face. I shivered and looked around the dark area.

"Cold?" A velvet voice whispered into my ear. I jumped and my hand flew to my heart, which was beating faster than a hummingbird's wings.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he chuckled. He didn't sound sorry at all. I closed my eyes, feeling myself tremble from the cold and my recent fright. "Are you ready to start?"

I felt my brow furrow and I looked up at him with confusion. "Where's Janette?" I had expected the director to be here for our rehearsal. Edward laughed at my assumption and I narrowed me eyes.

"Janette has her own…directing style," Edward sighed, leaning against the wall beside me. "She'll come with the rest of them at ten." He snapped a CD out of his pocket and proceeded to place it in the CD player at the back of the stage.

I thrust my hands into my pockets and closed my mouth tightly. He turned around with a grin as he examined my expression. "Stage fright?" He murmured, his voice teasing. I rolled my eyes but didn't answer him.

A familiar song started, making me blush deeply. _As Long as You're Mine _played softly, echoing throughout the theatre. Where I should have come in, I dropped my head, still refusing to sing. Why must I be put through this torture?

A finger colder than the room lifted my chin and I gasped at how close he was to me. His cool breath blew across my face and I felt myself stiffen. My head was spinning. Edward leaned toward my face, turning his at the last moment to whisper his lines in my ear.

"Maybe I'm brainless, maybe I'm wise, but you're got me seeing, through different eyes," his voice was musical without him even singing. The next few words were lost to me as I felt myself getting further and further away from the theatre.

Was it even possible for a human to be so beautiful? Was it possible for a human to be so…perfect? Was if possible for him to be so _cold_?

Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "What are you?"

Edward's mouth snapped shut at the side of my face. "What do you think I am?" he asked warily.

"Um…perfect?" I gasped. He was unfazed by my answer.

"Wrong," he chuckled. "At least, not _anymore_."

What was he talking about? I felt my heart fluttering as he leaned toward my neck, his lips almost touching it. Without realizing it, I would panting. He kissed my neck gently, but I barely felt it.

And then he was on the other side of the stage.

**Sorry that was so short. The next chapter will be long. Please review!**


	7. Author's Note

**Author's Note: I'm leaving for vacation tomorrow and won't be able to update **_**Acting **_**for a week. Sorry guys! Check out my other story, **_**Howling at the Moon**_**. I will try write another chapter this afternoon!**


	8. Wicked

**I'm baaaccckkkk!! I hope everyone likes this chapter, and even if you don't, REVIEW! ;) I will take constructive criticism. **

I felt my head spinning. "How did you do that?" I gasped, my hand automatically flying to my throat. I could barely see him in the darkness, but his eyes gave him away. I should have been terrified, or at least I thought I should, but I couldn't bring myself to be. Instead, a curious fascination unfurling within me. I could only think of how his ocher eyes glared angrily into the darkness.

He didn't answer me, but I could see his eyes lightening in color. The anger faded with them, but a harsh emotion lingered, almost animal. What I saw in his angelic eyes reminded me of a wolf, the kind of savage animal you saw on Animal Planet, during a hunt. He composed himself, his clenched jaw relaxing and his hands dropping loosely to his side. "I am so sorry," his voice was husky.

For kissing me? Okay, even though it was barely his lips brushing the side of my neck, it was a little uncalled for. Though I wasn't complaining. Edward seemed the gentleman, so maybe he was prone to overreacting to those kind of things. I probably shouldn't be judging him in those areas, considering I'd only known him for a day. Wow, twenty-four hours could change so much.

I snapped out of my thoughts. Edward looked like he was contemplating whether he should make a run for it, or ask me what was wrong. I'm guessing I looked like a deer in head-lights, but I couldn't seem to unfreeze myself. I tried to pry my jaw open to speak, but it, like the rest of my body, was stuck in place. Edward made slow, deliberate movements as he inched his way to the door.

"Don't leave," a strangled squeak protested. Wait, was that me? I sounded much more frightened than I felt. Edward glanced at me with a strange sadness in his eyes. For some reason, I had a feeling this wasn't just about him kissing me.

"I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry," Edward choked out. For the first time, his voice didn't have an beautiful undertone to it. For once, he sounded…normal. Human. Something suddenly sunk in. Hurt me? He'd hardly touched me, why did he think he had _hurt _me? So the whole eye changing color thing was weird, and it certainly was supernatural how he had crossed the stage so quickly, but why or how he thought he had hurt me was beyond my comprehension.

Of course, I wanted to tell him this, to let him know he shouldn't be angry with himself, but the second I opened my mouth to speak, he was gone. Gone, just like that. The music came to an eerie end, the part where I was meant to say the line of, "for once, I feel…wicked."

Ironically, that's exactly how I felt.

I ran. That's all I could think to do. Of course, in the busy streets of New York, in broad daylight, I didn't get very far. I threw my coat over me, shielding my shimmering skin from the sun. Being in a dark alleyway behind the theatre didn't mean I was alone. A few strange characters bustled by, quickening their pace at my lethal posture. I straightened myself and slouched against the bricks, trying to ignore the rank scent of sewage and rotting garbage.

I sat there for who knows how long, carefully keeping my thoughts away from the events that had occurred on stage. I fleetingly realized, with a melancholy kind of joy, that I was happy it had happened during our practice, when the thousands of eyes that were trained on me during a performance were absent.

In order to distract myself, I concentrated on the uncensored thoughts of the few people littering the alley. Across from me (and constantly moving further away), was an old man with a beard that covered most of his features. Whatever mysteries lay hidden in his facial hair were nothing compared to his mind. I could sense his discomfort, glad that Jasper wasn't here to feel it head on. _He's got no buisiness in these parts, _the scratchy voice of the man echoed in my mind, _That kid won't last a second out here. I'd bet a full bottle of whiskey he's not stayin', though. _

His mind could be described as nothing less than calloused. He had seen so much and withstood atrocities I couldn't even imagine through his life-time, that he had become immune to the simple instincts humans were born with. He didn't see me as the intimidating monster the rest of the world did (though they didn't consciously think it); he looked at me and saw the raw facts; I was lost, and I was angry.

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, leaning my head back against the wall and trying not to think. I heard the bright red Porsche speeding down the alleyway before I saw it through the man's mind. Alice skidded to a stop in front of me.

"I thought you might need a ride," her cheerful voice was strangely relaxing. I climbed into the passenger side. "Where to?"

"Anywhere," I muttered. "Anywhere but here."


	9. I need your help readers

**Sorry, no update right now, I've been really busy and have had a hard time coming up with ideas. If you'd like to help, post a comment of what I should write about in this next chapter. Edward's or Bella's POV, where did Edward go? That kind of thing. Thanks!**


	10. Surprise Visit

**I'm sorry I haven't updated any of my stories in so long. Special thanks to edward-n-bella-fr-eternity1207 for getting my started again. **

**As always, I own nothing. SM owns all. **

"Bella, come over her please," Janette motioned to me with her hand.

I stifled a sigh and trudged toward her. She didn't look happy. I looked at my shoes, wishing I could disappear and leave all of this behind. Janette's foot tapped impatiently.

"Where is he?" She asked frankly. I glanced up at her, hoping I could lie convincingly for once.

"I don't know," my shaking voice blew that for me.

Some of the actors began acting out a scene on the stage. I tuned out their voices, focusing on the grains of the wood floor.

Janette sighed, she was frustrated. "I don't like getting involved with your social lives, but I know you were with Edward this morning and I saw you two leave the set last night."

I looked up at her. "I honestly don't know where he is," I hissed.

She turned her head away from me. "You can go home now, Bella," she replied coolly. I practically dashed to the door, running away from Janette, the theatre, everything.

________________________________________________________________________

In the cool moist air, I could barely remember Bella or the troubles she had caused me. I lay in a green meadow that was spotted with wildflowers. A light drizzle had begun, reminding me of where I was. Forks, Washington. The rainiest place in the United States by far.

I remembered the events that had taken place when I arrived.

"_Edward!" Esme had run to greet me, squeezing me into a tight hug. Carlisle stood in the doorway, a slight frown on his lips, but his thoughts told me he was happy to see me back, too. They lived with Alice, my adopted sister, her mate Jasper, and Tanya, a newborn vampire. _

_Alice stuffed the keys in her purse, grinning goofily at her family, and more importantly, Jasper. I tuned out her thoughts. Tanya stepped onto the porch, her arms crossed and her glowing red eyes vivid. She smiled and her thoughts invaded my mind. _

_Why, what do we have here? Carlisle and Esme never told me they had another son. Hmmm…well I guess this is my gain. _

_She flipped her strawberry blonde hair, her eyes burning into mine. I averted my gaze. _

Tanya's demeanor hadn't changed in the two weeks I had been here. She followed me everywhere, hunting with me, sitting with me during the nighttime hours when it was odd to be out of the house. I couldn't even find peace within my own mind, since her thoughts were some of the loudest I had heard.

This wasn't my first time in the meadow, in fact, the day I found it, I had told Tanya in a none-to-gentlemanly manner that I needed time to be _alone_. Unfortunately she only applied this to the meadow, and nowhere else.

I needed to leave, to go back, but now that I had gotten settled, I knew Esme would be heartbroken if I left so soon.

I stood up, knowing Tanya would be waiting just a mile or so away.

When I stepped into the house, the whole atmosphere had changed. Alice sat on the stairs with her arms wrapped around her legs. Carlisle was standing by the kitchen door looking professionally neutral. Esme sat in an arm chair, her brows furrowed.

_Edward! Please, let me explain! _Alice sounded worried, and she was blocking out whatever she had seen. The rest of the family was concentrating on not thinking about it as well.

"Explain what?" I hissed through my teeth.

Alice spoke slowly and softly, trying to calm me down, "The Volturi are visiting," She paused, measuring my reaction. "They're in New York".

________________________________________________________________________

I packed my bags within the hour and rushed to the airport after a rushed goodbye to my family. Alice had insisted on coming with me, but I convinced her it would be better if I went alone.

I ran to Seattle and caught a plane to Dallas, Texas, the only flight available. The flight was excruciatingly slow, a young woman sat beside me, constantly trying to strike up conversation, but never succeeding. I glanced out the window every few seconds. When the plane landed, I practically flew from the airport, knowing I couldn't survive another flight.

I'm sure I looked odd running through the forest with a suitcase in hand, but no person saw me on my two hour trip to New York. I had never run that fast before, but was thankful of my abilities at this time. I reached Bella's apartment in great time. Above the honking of horns and other street sounds I heard the drone of a church bell. I glanced at my watch which read ten o'clock. She would have been home for two hours now.

I hadn't thought through what I would do when I came. I knew I needed to protect her, and find out what the Volturi were up to at the same time. I thought for a moment before climbing up the side of the building to the roof and sitting on a pile of bricks. A plethora of advertisements glowed against the night sky. I scanned over them, but only one stood out to me, piercing my heart like a cold blade.

_**Wicked**_

_**Premiering November 21**__**st**___

_**Starring Bella Swan & Edward Cullen**_

November 21st was what hit me first. What was today? I sped through the minds of the pedestrians below me, hoping someone was looking at a watch or anything with a date on it. I found my target in a man rushing to a concert. The date on the pamphlet he was reading said November 19th. Two days until the premiere.

What I noticed secondly, but wasn't nearly as important, was that my name was still on the board. I was expected to be there.

My breathing sped up, and I knew I needed to handle the Volturi before the 21st.


End file.
